Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 44: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the timetable for the re-establishment of the Assembly and the Executive in Northern Ireland; his views on re-establishing the Assembly without a fully functioning power-sharing Executive; the scenarios that will emerge in the event of the Assembly not agreeing to form an Executive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13126/06]

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 52: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs when the proposals for the way forward in Northern Ireland that are currently being agreed with the British Government will be published; the subsequent timetable for the re-establishment of the institutions created under the Good Friday Agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13129/06]

Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 83: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the efforts he is making to ensure the maintenance of the North-South institutions created under the Good Friday Agreement in the event of a failure to re-establish the Assembly and the power-sharing Executive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13130/06]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Question 93: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the options he is considering for the future governance of Northern Ireland in the event of the Assembly and the power-sharing Executive not being re-established; if he has met with the British Government on this issue; if he has held discussions with parties in Northern Ireland on the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13127/06]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 44, 52, 83 and 93 together.

When the Taoiseach and Prime Minister Blair met at Farmleigh on 26 January last, they said that 2006 would be the decisive year for the peace process. Almost eight years on from the signing of the Good Friday Agreement and more than three years since the suspension of the institutions, it is now time that political power and responsibility is returned to a fully functioning Assembly and Executive and that Northern Ireland politicians begin to do the work they were elected to do. This is what the people in Northern Ireland want to see happen and it is what the two Governments have committed themselves to achieve this year.

The Taoiseach and Prime Minister Blair will meet in Armagh on Thursday, 6 April to set out the Governments' joint strategy for a fully functioning Assembly and Executive, and nothing less than that, in 2006. Work on these proposals is ongoing, and I do not want to anticipate the precise details of what will be announced on Thursday. I can say, however, that the Assembly will be recalled in mid-May and asked to begin immediately to prepare for Government and to elect an Executive within six weeks.

We are fully aware that there are obstacles to progress that need to be addressed and resolved. This can only be done by the parties themselves. Our aim is to create the circumstances in which they can deal with any obstacles and prepare for Government. If the parties cannot overcome these obstacles in six weeks, we are prepared to give the Assembly some additional time, but for a strictly limited period and for the express purpose of implementing the Agreement and electing an Executive.

Whether we are successful in achieving this objective is ultimately the responsibility of the parties themselves. If, within that strictly limited period, the parties collectively are unable to implement the Agreement, then the Governments will have to exercise our responsibilities and ensure that the Agreement is implemented to the maximum possible extent for the benefit of all communities.

The North-South arrangements would be particularly important in that context. They are a vital pillar of the Good Friday Agreement. The North-South Bodies established under the Agreement continue to carry out important public functions and have shown the value of having dedicated institutions to pursue common goals for mutual benefit. The Government is fully committed to advancing North-South co-operation for the benefit of all the people on the island.

Our focus now is on taking the necessary steps which will lead to restoration of all the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement, including the North-South Ministerial Council. As I have said, if we are faced with a situation where we have to conclude that fully-functioning institutions are not in prospect this year, then the two Governments will have no choice but to act to sustain the Agreement, including its provisions on North-South co-operation, to the greatest extent possible.

We are now at a critical juncture. The difficult decisions in the coming days and weeks will be for the parties. We believe our joint strategy represents the best opportunity to pave the way for the restoration of devolved government in Northern Ireland this year. We will be asking all of the parties to consider it carefully and, most importantly, to give it the opportunity to succeed.